Vodafone User Gets £22,000 Mobile Broadband Bill

A Vodafone mobile broadband customer has returned from holiday to find a near £22,000 mobile broadband bill to pay.

Will Pierce along with his son, downloaded various British television shows whilst they were on holiday. They used a Vodafone data card to download episodes of Top Gear and Kavanagh QC, but nothing could have prepared them for the bill that they received when they got back.

Totalling £21,716, the pair must have at first thought that it was some kind of mistake. However, as they found out the bill was very real and it was all thanks to roaming charges which caused each download to cost £5,000. Put simply, the charge for downloading was £300 per minute.

When talking about the bill to the Daily Mail, Mr Pierce said:
“I nearly fell over when I saw the bill. It was just unbelievable. I never imagined it would cost so much to watch a few TV programs. I’m amazed that Vodafone could allow an individual to run up such a huge bill without any warning or agreement of a credit limit. It’s utterly staggering.”

Vodafone have since decided to waive the bill. They have also stated that a bill so high is extremely rare.

It is certainly not the first time that a mobile broadband consumer has ran up such a high bill whilst abroad. Another man downloaded episodes of Friends whilst he was in Germany and his bill totalled £11,000.

Whilst it can be incredibly convenient to browse the web and download content no matter where you are, it’s always advisable to read the small print of your mobile broadband contract.

Most tariffs cover the UK only so if you’re planning on using your mobile broadband connection abroad, make sure you add a ‘bolt on’ tariff which are reasonably priced.

Finally, if you’re in any doubt, simply get in contact with your mobile broadband provider before you travel abroad. They’ll be happy to help.